Release 0.6.0: anonymous-write gates audit + hardening

Sweep-the-edges hardening release (roadmap item #4). Audits every
write-shaped backend endpoint to confirm each one enforces an explicit
auth.require_contributor (or stricter) gate before doing state-changing
work; adds a regression test net (test_anon_offlimits_vertical.py, 12
tests, 66 assertions) so future endpoints can't quietly ship without a
gate. The only behaviour change: GET /api/rfcs/<slug>/graduate/progress
now requires auth.require_user since the step detail (repo name, PR
number, rollback steps) isn't part of the v0.3.0 anonymous-read contract.
No schema, no env, no dependency changes; operator action is rebuild +
restart per CHANGELOG §0.6.0 upgrade steps.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.7 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>

CHANGELOG.md

@@ -23,6 +23,105 @@ skip versions are the composition of each intervening adjacent
 release's steps in order — no A-to-B path is pre-computed beyond
 that.
 
+## 0.6.0 — 2026-05-28
+
+**Minor — no operator action required.** A sweep-the-edges hardening
+release (roadmap item #4, "anon discuss + contribute off-limits") that
+audits every write-shaped backend endpoint and asserts each one
+enforces an explicit `auth.require_contributor` (or stricter) gate
+before doing any state-changing work. v0.3.0 hid write affordances
+behind a sign-in CTA on the frontend; v0.5.0 added the PR-less
+discussion surface with its own write gate; v0.6.0 sweeps the rest
+and adds a regression test net so future endpoints can't quietly
+ship without a gate. No schema migration, no env-var changes, no
+new dependencies. The only behavioural change is one tightening: the
+`GET /api/rfcs/<slug>/graduate/progress` SSE now requires
+`auth.require_user` since it surfaces operator-visible step detail
+(repo name, PR number, rollback steps) not part of the v0.3.0
+anonymous-read contract for catalog/RFC bodies.
+
+### Changed
+
+- **`backend/app/api_graduation.py`** — `GET /graduate/progress`
+  now calls `auth.require_user(request)` as its first line.
+  Anonymous callers receive 401 instead of being able to subscribe
+  to a graduation's SSE. The floor is `require_user` (not
+  `require_contributor`) so a write-muted operator can still observe
+  the progress of a graduation they kicked off before being muted.
+- **SPEC `§6.1`** (`SPEC.md`) — the Anonymous role's bullet now
+  documents the v0.6.0 audit: every write-shaped endpoint in §17
+  enforces an explicit gate; anonymous writes refuse 401. The list
+  of audited write families is recorded in-line.
+- **SPEC `§10.10`** — the discussion-vs-contribution section now
+  records that the v0.5.0 write gates have a regression test net
+  (`test_anon_offlimits_vertical.py`) added in v0.6.0.
+- **SPEC `§17`** — the `GET /api/rfcs/<slug>/graduate/progress`
+  bullet now documents the `require_user` gate added in v0.6.0,
+  with the rationale.
+
+### Added (tests)
+
+- **`backend/tests/test_anon_offlimits_vertical.py`** — twelve new
+  tests asserting that every write-shaped endpoint surveyed in the
+  v0.6.0 audit refuses anonymous callers with 401, and that the five
+  anonymous-read surfaces (health, philosophy, auth/me, catalog,
+  RFC view, discussion threads, proposals) stay reachable. Sixty-six
+  assertions in total, covering: propose; proposal merge / decline /
+  withdraw; branch promote-to-branch / start-edit-branch / metadata /
+  manual-flush / visibility / grants (POST + DELETE) / threads (POST)
+  / messages (POST) / resolve / chat-seen / changes (accept / decline
+  / reask) / chat-stream; super-draft start-edit-branch + metadata;
+  PR pr-draft / open / seen / review / merge / withdraw /
+  description / resolution-branch; discussion thread create + message
+  post + resolve; admin role / mute / allowlist (POST + DELETE) plus
+  the admin reads; notification preferences / quiet-hours / watch /
+  mark-read / user-mute (POST + DELETE); funder credentials (POST +
+  DELETE) + consent (POST + DELETE); graduation kickoff + claim +
+  progress SSE; PR review page anonymous-readable.
+
+### Anonymous-writeable allowlist
+
+Two endpoints are intentionally anonymous-by-design. They are not
+audit findings; they are documented here so the contract is
+explicit:
+
+- `GET  /auth/login` and `GET  /auth/callback` — the OAuth
+  round-trip. Anonymous-by-design because they ARE the sign-in
+  entrypoint.
+- `POST /api/webhooks/gitea` and `POST /api/webhooks/email-bounce`
+  — anonymous in the session sense but authenticated by HMAC shared
+  secret (`GITEA_WEBHOOK_SECRET` and `WEBHOOK_EMAIL_BOUNCE_SECRET`
+  respectively). The webhook receiver is the wrong place for an
+  authenticated session; the shared-secret shape is correct.
+
+### §19.2 candidates surfaced
+
+- None unique to this release. The two pre-existing candidates the
+  audit touched — anonymous-read polish for the discussion surface
+  (carried from v0.5.0) and the operator-visibility floor on
+  graduation progress — were settled here as `require_user` on
+  `/graduate/progress` rather than deferred.
+
+### Upgrade steps (from 0.5.0)
+
+1. The deployment **MUST** rebuild the frontend (`npm install &&
+   npm run build`) so the frontend bundle's reported version matches
+   the backend's. No new env vars; existing `frontend/.env` is
+   sufficient.
+2. The deployment **MUST** restart the backend so the new
+   `require_user` gate on `/graduate/progress` is enforced. No
+   schema migration runs.
+3. The deployment **MAY** announce the audit completion to
+   operators: every write-shaped backend endpoint now enforces an
+   explicit gate, and the `test_anon_offlimits_vertical.py` test
+   net asserts the contract on every CI run. The audited surfaces
+   are listed in the `Added (tests)` section above and in `SPEC.md`
+   §6.1.
+4. The deployment **MUST NOT** assume any new envelope behaviour:
+   v0.6.0 is purely a hardening release. No schema, no env, no
+   dependency changes; the operator's role is reduced to rebuild +
+   restart.
+
 ## 0.5.0 — 2026-05-27
 
 **Minor — no operator action required.** This release wires the
@@ -120,6 +219,51 @@ No schema migration is required.
    v0.5.0's write paths already refuse anonymous posts, so no
    pre-emptive operator action is needed.
 
+## 0.4.0 — 2026-05-27
+
+**Minor — no operator action required beyond rebuild + restart.** The
+proposer of a new RFC is now the implicit first owner of its super-
+draft entry, set automatically at propose time from the session user.
+The §13.1 claim flow remains available for *additional* owners. No
+schema changes, no env-var changes, no API-shape changes; only newly
+proposed RFCs receive the auto-owner — existing super-drafts whose
+`owners:` is empty are unaffected and can still be claimed via §13.1
+as before. This is a §19.3 rule-2 spec correction: `SPEC.md` §9.1,
+§9.2, and §13.1 are updated to reflect the new shape.
+
+### Changed
+
+- **`POST /api/rfcs/propose`** (`backend/app/api.py`) now sets
+  `Entry.owners = [user.gitea_login]` when constructing the new
+  super-draft entry, instead of `owners=[]`. The session's
+  `gitea_login` is the canonical source; the endpoint never accepted
+  an owner field from the request payload and still doesn't.
+- **`SPEC.md` §9.1** narrowed: the "no proposed-owner or working-
+  group fields" sentence becomes a proposer-owner-auto / working-
+  group-deferred split, with a §19.3 rule-2 note.
+- **`SPEC.md` §9.2** frontmatter shape: `owners: []` → `owners:
+  [<proposer.gitea_login>]`, with a §19.3 rule-2 note.
+- **`SPEC.md` §13.1** reframed: claim flow is now a graduation-time
+  broadening for additional owners, not a precondition for the
+  proposer's own RFC. The §13.1 / §13.2 / §13.3 graduation pipeline
+  itself is unchanged — the "at least one owner" precondition for
+  graduation still holds and is now satisfied by default.
+
+### Upgrade steps (from 0.3.0)
+
+1. The deployment **MUST** rebuild and restart per the routine
+   deploy steps. No `.env` changes, no schema/migration changes, no
+   API-shape changes.
+2. Operators **SHOULD** note that newly proposed RFCs after the
+   upgrade carry the proposer in `owners:` automatically. Existing
+   super-drafts with empty `owners:` are not migrated; they remain
+   claimable via the §13.1 flow exactly as before. No deployment-
+   side data action is required.
+3. Deployments **MAY** communicate the UX shift to active proposers
+   (the "Claim ownership" affordance no longer applies to your own
+   newly proposed RFC), but the affordance simply hides on RFCs the
+   viewer already owns, so no operator-side action is required.
+
 ## 0.3.0 — 2026-05-27
 
 **Minor — operator action required if a deployment wants to enable the

SPEC.md

@@ -354,7 +354,15 @@ Authorization is owned by the app. Gitea sees only the bot account.
 1. **Anonymous.** Can read public RFCs (the meta repo's main branch,
    every RFC repo's main branch), read any branch whose `read_public`
    is true, read any PR. Cannot chat, propose, create branches, or
-   open PRs.
+   open PRs. v0.6.0 (roadmap item #4) closed the audit: every
+   write-shaped endpoint surveyed in §17 enforces an explicit
+   `auth.require_contributor` (or stricter) gate before doing any
+   state-changing work; anonymous writes refuse 401. The explicit
+   audit covers propose, branch create, branch threads, PR-less
+   discussion threads + messages, PR open / merge / withdraw,
+   funder credentials + consent, admin allowlist add, graduation
+   kickoff + claim. Anonymous reads on every catalog and RFC-body
+   surface remain open per the v0.3.0 contract.
 2. **Contributor.** Default role for any authenticated account.
    Everything anonymous can do, plus: propose new RFCs (open a PR
    against the meta repo), create branches on any RFC repo, open PRs
@@ -1125,12 +1133,20 @@ The modal collects four fields:
   type their own.
 
 No proposer name or email — the logged-in identity is canonical and
-need not be retyped. No proposed-owner or working-group fields —
+need not be retyped. No proposer-owner field either: the proposer is
-ownership flows through the post-merge claim flow (§13.1), and
+implicitly the first owner of their own RFC, set automatically at
+submit-time from the session user (see §9.2); the post-merge claim
+flow (§13.1) remains for *other* contributors to add themselves as
+owners on an RFC they didn't propose. No working-group field —
 arbiters are admin work, not the proposer's call. AI's drafting role
 is intentionally narrow: tag suggestions only. The proposer is
 making a specific claim about a specific word, and having AI propose
-the claim for them would undercut the gesture.
+the claim for them would undercut the gesture. (§19.3 rule-2
+correction: 0.4.0 narrowed this paragraph; the prior version asserted
+"no proposed-owner field" without qualification, but running code
+revealed that forcing a separate claim-flow gesture for the
+proposer's own RFC was UX friction with no benefit — the proposer
+already self-identified by proposing.)
 
 Primary action: **"Open proposal PR"** — naming the actual Git
 artifact produced, consistent with §10.1's *Open PR* and §13's
@@ -1146,7 +1162,13 @@ is populated from the modal and session:
 - `state: super-draft`, `id: null`, `repo: null`,
   `graduated_at: null`, `graduated_by: null` — fixed at creation.
 - `proposed_by: <session email>`, `proposed_at: <today>` — auto.
-- `owners: []` — empty; the claim flow (§13.1) fills this.
+- `owners: [<proposer.gitea_login>]` — the proposer is the first
+  owner at propose time, set automatically from the session user.
+  The §13.1 claim flow remains available for *additional* owners on
+  the same entry. (§19.3 rule-2 correction: 0.4.0 changed this from
+  `owners: []`; the prior shape required a separate claim-flow
+  gesture for the proposer's own RFC, which running code surfaced
+  as needless UX friction.)
 - `arbiters: []` — empty; arbiters are admin work, not the
   proposer's call.
 
@@ -1655,8 +1677,12 @@ them was the failure mode of generic-PR-comments-as-only-conversation.
 
 Reads on the discussion surface follow §14 / the v0.3.0 anonymous-read
 contract: anyone can see the conversation. Writes require contributor
-role per §6.1 (v0.5.0 implements the gate; v0.6.0 — item #4 — hardens
+role per §6.1: v0.5.0 implemented the gate on the three discussion
-adjacent surfaces to match). The notification routing reuses the
+write paths (POST threads, POST messages, POST resolve); v0.6.0 (item
+#4) audited the adjacent surfaces and added the matching test net
+(`test_anon_offlimits_vertical.py`) so a regression on any write
+endpoint is caught immediately. The gates use `auth.require_contributor`
+as the canonical helper. The notification routing reuses the
 existing `chat_message_in_participated_thread` /
 `chat_reply_to_my_message` event kinds with `branch_name=null` on the
 fan-out row; the §15.7 reconciler and §15 inbox prose render
@@ -1757,11 +1783,20 @@ PR do not block graduation; they remain on the meta repo subject to
 
 ### 13.1 Claim ownership (prerequisite)
 
-If a super-draft has no owner, any signed-in contributor can click
+The proposer is already the first owner of any super-draft they
-"Claim ownership," which opens a PR against the meta repo adding their
+proposed (per §9.2; auto-set at propose time). The claim flow exists
-username to the `owners:` field of the entry. Owners and admins can
+for *additional* contributors to become owners on an existing super-
-merge. (A self-merge window for un-acted claims is not enabled in v1;
+draft — typically a draft whose proposer has stepped away, or a draft
-configurable later if needed.) Multiple claims simply append.
+graduating with a working group. Any signed-in contributor can click
+"Claim ownership," which opens a PR against the meta repo adding
+their username to the `owners:` field of the entry. Owners and admins
+can merge. (A self-merge window for un-acted claims is not enabled in
+v1; configurable later if needed.) Multiple claims simply append.
+(§19.3 rule-2 correction: 0.4.0 narrowed this section's framing; the
+prior version implied owners always started empty and the claim flow
+was a hard prerequisite to graduation, but with the proposer now
+auto-set as first owner, the claim flow is a graduation-time
+broadening rather than a precondition for the proposer's own RFC.)
 
 ### 13.2 The Graduate dialog
 
@@ -2521,7 +2556,13 @@ The follow-up session will refine this. A minimal starting set:
   trailing `rollback` step's events if any earlier step fails. The
   Graduate dialog opens this stream on confirm and renders the step
   stack from the events. The stream closes on success or on
-  rollback completion.
+  rollback completion. Requires `auth.require_user` per v0.6.0
+  (item #4): the step detail (repo name, PR number, rollback steps)
+  is operator-visible state and isn't part of the v0.3.0
+  anonymous-read contract for catalog and RFC bodies. The floor is
+  `require_user` (not `require_contributor`) so a write-muted
+  operator can still observe a graduation they kicked off before
+  being muted.
 - `GET  /api/rfcs/<slug>/blocking-prs` — list open meta-repo PRs
   against `rfcs/<slug>.md` per §13.2's precondition popover. Returns
   PR number, title, author, last-activity timestamp, and the

VERSION

@@ -1 +1 @@
-0.5.0
+0.6.0

backend/app/api.py

@@ -305,7 +305,11 @@ def make_router(
             proposed_at=entry_mod.today(),
             graduated_at=None,
             graduated_by=None,
-            owners=[],
+            # §9.2: the proposer is the implicit first owner at propose time.
+            # The §13.1 claim flow exists for *other* contributors to become
+            # owners on an RFC they didn't propose; the proposer never needs
+            # to claim their own RFC.
+            owners=[user.gitea_login],
             arbiters=[],
             tags=[t.strip() for t in payload.tags if t.strip()],
             body=payload.pitch.strip() + "\n",

backend/app/api_graduation.py

@@ -520,7 +520,16 @@ def make_router(
 
     @router.get("/api/rfcs/{slug}/graduate/progress")
     async def graduate_progress(slug: str, request: Request):
-        del request
+        # v0.6.0 (item #4): the progress SSE surfaces admin-internal step
+        # detail (repo name, PR number, rollback steps) that isn't part of
+        # the v0.3.0 anonymous-read contract for catalog/RFC bodies. The
+        # corresponding POST /graduate is gated to RFC owners/arbiters and
+        # app admins/owners via `_can_graduate`; the read SSE shares that
+        # operator-visible surface, so it requires at least an
+        # authenticated viewer. We keep the floor at require_user (not
+        # require_contributor) so a write-muted operator can still observe
+        # the progress of a graduation they kicked off before being muted.
+        auth.require_user(request)
         state = _get_active(slug)
         if state is None:
             raise HTTPException(404, "No graduation in flight for this slug")

backend/tests/test_anon_offlimits_vertical.py

@@ -0,0 +1,476 @@
+"""v0.6.0 (roadmap item #4) — "anon discuss + contribute off-limits"
+vertical.
+
+A sweep-the-edges hardening release. The v0.3.0 release hid the write
+affordances from anonymous viewers; v0.5.0 added the PR-less discussion
+surface with its own write gate. v0.6.0 audits both: every write-shaped
+endpoint refuses anonymous callers with 401 (or 403 when the role check
+runs after the auth check), and every anonymous-read surface stays
+reachable.
+
+This test is the regression net for the audit. It walks each module's
+representative write endpoint as an anonymous client and asserts the
+401/403, then walks the same surfaces' representative read endpoints
+as anonymous and asserts the 200. The intent is breadth over depth:
+one assertion per write endpoint family is enough to catch a
+regression where someone strips the `auth.require_contributor` line.
+
+Endpoints covered (one or two from each module):
+
+  - api.py:          propose, decline (admin), withdraw,
+                     funder credentials POST/DELETE, funder consent
+                     POST/DELETE
+  - api_branches.py: promote-to-branch, start-edit-branch, metadata,
+                     manual-flush, visibility, grants POST/DELETE,
+                     threads POST, thread messages POST, resolve,
+                     chat-seen, change accept/decline/reask
+  - api_prs.py:      pr-draft, open-pr, seen, review, merge, withdraw,
+                     description, resolution-branch
+  - api_discussion.py: thread create, message post, resolve
+  - api_admin.py:    role POST, mute POST, allowlist POST/DELETE
+  - api_notifications.py: prefs POST, watch POST, mark-read POST,
+                          quiet-hours POST, user-mute POST/DELETE
+  - api_graduation.py: graduate POST, claim POST, progress GET
+
+The §15.7 reads (`/api/notifications`, `/api/watches`,
+`/api/users/me/*`) are per-user surfaces — they require an
+authenticated viewer by definition; an anonymous 401 on those reads is
+shape-correct, not a regression. The test does not assert reads on
+those.
+"""
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+import pytest
+
+# Reuse the fixture / session / fake-Gitea harness from Slice 1.
+from test_propose_vertical import (  # noqa: F401 — fixtures land via import
+    FakeGitea,
+    app_with_fake_gitea,
+    provision_user_row,
+    sign_in_as,
+    tmp_env,
+)
+from test_rfc_view_vertical import SEED_BODY, seed_active_rfc
+
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# Tests
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+
+def test_anonymous_can_read_every_public_surface(app_with_fake_gitea):
+    """Per §14 / the v0.3.0 anonymous-read contract: the catalog, the
+    RFC view, the PR-less discussion surface, the philosophy page, and
+    the health probe must remain reachable for unauthenticated viewers.
+    This is the read side of the item #4 contract — the read surfaces
+    must NOT regress to require auth as the write gates tighten.
+    """
+    from fastapi.testclient import TestClient
+
+    app, fake = app_with_fake_gitea
+    with TestClient(app) as client:
+        provision_user_row(user_id=1, login="alice", role="contributor")
+        seed_active_rfc(fake, slug="ohm", title="OHM", body=SEED_BODY)
+
+        # No session cookie — viewer is anonymous.
+        client.cookies.clear()
+
+        # The five read surfaces an anonymous viewer must reach.
+        assert client.get("/api/health").status_code == 200
+        assert client.get("/api/philosophy").status_code == 200
+        assert client.get("/api/auth/me").status_code == 200
+        assert client.get("/api/rfcs").status_code == 200
+        assert client.get("/api/rfcs/ohm").status_code == 200
+        assert client.get("/api/rfcs/ohm/main").status_code == 200
+        assert client.get("/api/rfcs/ohm/discussion/threads").status_code == 200
+        assert client.get("/api/proposals").status_code == 200
+
+
+def test_anonymous_propose_refused(app_with_fake_gitea):
+    from fastapi.testclient import TestClient
+
+    app, _fake = app_with_fake_gitea
+    with TestClient(app) as client:
+        client.cookies.clear()
+        r = client.post(
+            "/api/rfcs/propose",
+            json={"title": "X", "slug": "x", "pitch": "p", "tags": []},
+        )
+        assert r.status_code == 401
+
+
+def test_anonymous_proposal_admin_paths_refused(app_with_fake_gitea):
+    """The admin-gated proposal actions — merge, decline — must refuse
+    anonymous callers with 401 (the auth check runs before the role
+    check; both refusals are correct, but 401 is the structural signal
+    "no session at all")."""
+    from fastapi.testclient import TestClient
+
+    app, _fake = app_with_fake_gitea
+    with TestClient(app) as client:
+        client.cookies.clear()
+        # PR number doesn't need to exist — the gate runs first.
+        assert client.post("/api/proposals/1/merge").status_code == 401
+        assert (
+            client.post("/api/proposals/1/decline", json={"comment": "no"}).status_code
+            == 401
+        )
+        assert client.post("/api/proposals/1/withdraw").status_code == 401
+
+
+def test_anonymous_branch_writes_refused_on_active_rfc(app_with_fake_gitea):
+    """Branch-scoped writes on an active RFC: promote-to-branch,
+    manual-flush, visibility, grants, threads create, message post,
+    resolve, chat-seen, change accept/decline/reask. All must 401 for
+    anonymous callers."""
+    from fastapi.testclient import TestClient
+
+    app, fake = app_with_fake_gitea
+    with TestClient(app) as client:
+        seed_active_rfc(fake, slug="ohm", title="OHM", body=SEED_BODY)
+        client.cookies.clear()
+
+        # Branch-scoped writes — slug + branch values are placeholders;
+        # the auth gate runs before any state lookup.
+        slug = "ohm"
+        branch = "feature-x"
+
+        assert (
+            client.post(
+                f"/api/rfcs/{slug}/branches/main/promote-to-branch",
+                json={},
+            ).status_code == 401
+        )
+        assert (
+            client.post(
+                f"/api/rfcs/{slug}/branches/{branch}/manual-flush",
+                json={"new_content": "hi", "paragraph_count": 1},
+            ).status_code == 401
+        )
+        assert (
+            client.post(
+                f"/api/rfcs/{slug}/branches/{branch}/visibility",
+                json={"read_public": False},
+            ).status_code == 401
+        )
+        assert (
+            client.post(
+                f"/api/rfcs/{slug}/branches/{branch}/grants",
+                json={"grantee_gitea_login": "alice"},
+            ).status_code == 401
+        )
+        assert (
+            client.delete(
+                f"/api/rfcs/{slug}/branches/{branch}/grants/alice",
+            ).status_code == 401
+        )
+        assert (
+            client.post(
+                f"/api/rfcs/{slug}/branches/{branch}/threads",
+                json={"thread_kind": "chat", "anchor_kind": "whole-doc"},
+            ).status_code == 401
+        )
+        assert (
+            client.post(
+                f"/api/rfcs/{slug}/branches/{branch}/threads/1/messages",
+                json={"text": "hi"},
+            ).status_code == 401
+        )
+        assert (
+            client.post(
+                f"/api/rfcs/{slug}/branches/{branch}/threads/1/resolve",
+            ).status_code == 401
+        )
+        assert (
+            client.post(
+                f"/api/rfcs/{slug}/branches/{branch}/chat-seen",
+                json={"last_seen_message_id": 1},
+            ).status_code == 401
+        )
+        assert (
+            client.post(
+                f"/api/rfcs/{slug}/branches/{branch}/changes/1/accept",
+                json={"proposed": "x"},
+            ).status_code == 401
+        )
+        assert (
+            client.post(
+                f"/api/rfcs/{slug}/branches/{branch}/changes/1/decline",
+            ).status_code == 401
+        )
+        assert (
+            client.post(
+                f"/api/rfcs/{slug}/branches/{branch}/changes/1/reask",
+            ).status_code == 401
+        )
+        # Chat stream — POST shaped, same auth gate.
+        assert (
+            client.post(
+                f"/api/rfcs/{slug}/branches/{branch}/threads/1/chat",
+                json={"text": "hi"},
+            ).status_code == 401
+        )
+
+
+def test_anonymous_super_draft_writes_refused(app_with_fake_gitea):
+    """Super-draft-scoped writes: start-edit-branch and metadata. The
+    PR open / merge paths share the gate via api_prs.py — see the
+    PR-flow test below for those."""
+    from fastapi.testclient import TestClient
+
+    app, _fake = app_with_fake_gitea
+    with TestClient(app) as client:
+        client.cookies.clear()
+        assert (
+            client.post(
+                "/api/rfcs/anything/start-edit-branch", json={}
+            ).status_code == 401
+        )
+        assert (
+            client.post(
+                "/api/rfcs/anything/metadata", json={"title": "x"}
+            ).status_code == 401
+        )
+
+
+def test_anonymous_pr_flow_writes_refused(app_with_fake_gitea):
+    """All §10 PR-flow writes — open, merge, withdraw, description,
+    review, seen, pr-draft, resolution-branch — must 401 for anonymous."""
+    from fastapi.testclient import TestClient
+
+    app, fake = app_with_fake_gitea
+    with TestClient(app) as client:
+        seed_active_rfc(fake, slug="ohm", title="OHM", body=SEED_BODY)
+        client.cookies.clear()
+        slug, branch, pr = "ohm", "feature-x", 1
+        assert (
+            client.post(
+                f"/api/rfcs/{slug}/branches/{branch}/pr-draft"
+            ).status_code == 401
+        )
+        assert (
+            client.post(
+                f"/api/rfcs/{slug}/branches/{branch}/open-pr",
+                json={"title": "t", "description": "d"},
+            ).status_code == 401
+        )
+        assert (
+            client.post(
+                f"/api/rfcs/{slug}/prs/{pr}/seen",
+                json={"last_seen_message_id": 1},
+            ).status_code == 401
+        )
+        assert (
+            client.post(
+                f"/api/rfcs/{slug}/prs/{pr}/review",
+                json={"text": "x", "anchor_payload": {}},
+            ).status_code == 401
+        )
+        assert (
+            client.post(
+                f"/api/rfcs/{slug}/prs/{pr}/merge"
+            ).status_code == 401
+        )
+        assert (
+            client.post(
+                f"/api/rfcs/{slug}/prs/{pr}/withdraw"
+            ).status_code == 401
+        )
+        assert (
+            client.post(
+                f"/api/rfcs/{slug}/prs/{pr}/description",
+                json={"title": "t", "description": "d"},
+            ).status_code == 401
+        )
+        assert (
+            client.post(
+                f"/api/rfcs/{slug}/prs/{pr}/resolution-branch"
+            ).status_code == 401
+        )
+
+
+def test_anonymous_discussion_writes_refused(app_with_fake_gitea):
+    """The v0.5.0 PR-less discussion surface — write gates must hold.
+    This duplicates the assertion in `test_discussion_vertical.py` and
+    keeps it here too as the canonical home for the item #4 audit."""
+    from fastapi.testclient import TestClient
+
+    app, fake = app_with_fake_gitea
+    with TestClient(app) as client:
+        seed_active_rfc(fake, slug="ohm", title="OHM", body=SEED_BODY)
+        client.cookies.clear()
+        assert (
+            client.post(
+                "/api/rfcs/ohm/discussion/threads",
+                json={"message": "drive-by"},
+            ).status_code == 401
+        )
+        assert (
+            client.post(
+                "/api/rfcs/ohm/discussion/threads/1/messages",
+                json={"text": "drive-by"},
+            ).status_code == 401
+        )
+        assert (
+            client.post(
+                "/api/rfcs/ohm/discussion/threads/1/resolve"
+            ).status_code == 401
+        )
+
+
+def test_anonymous_admin_writes_refused(app_with_fake_gitea):
+    """Admin surfaces — role, mute, allowlist — refuse anonymous.
+    The auth check runs before the require_admin role check, so the
+    response is 401."""
+    from fastapi.testclient import TestClient
+
+    app, _fake = app_with_fake_gitea
+    with TestClient(app) as client:
+        client.cookies.clear()
+        assert (
+            client.post(
+                "/api/admin/users/1/role", json={"role": "admin"}
+            ).status_code == 401
+        )
+        assert (
+            client.post(
+                "/api/admin/users/1/mute", json={"muted": True}
+            ).status_code == 401
+        )
+        assert (
+            client.post(
+                "/api/admin/allowlist", json={"email": "x@y.z"}
+            ).status_code == 401
+        )
+        assert (
+            client.delete("/api/admin/allowlist/x@y.z").status_code == 401
+        )
+        # Admin reads also gated.
+        assert client.get("/api/admin/users").status_code == 401
+        assert client.get("/api/admin/audit").status_code == 401
+        assert client.get("/api/admin/permission-events").status_code == 401
+        assert client.get("/api/admin/graduation-queue").status_code == 401
+        assert client.get("/api/admin/allowlist").status_code == 401
+
+
+def test_anonymous_notification_writes_refused(app_with_fake_gitea):
+    """Notification preference / watch / mark-read / user-mute writes —
+    all per-user surfaces, all require an authenticated viewer."""
+    from fastapi.testclient import TestClient
+
+    app, fake = app_with_fake_gitea
+    with TestClient(app) as client:
+        seed_active_rfc(fake, slug="ohm", title="OHM", body=SEED_BODY)
+        client.cookies.clear()
+        assert (
+            client.post(
+                "/api/users/me/notification-preferences",
+                json={"email_personal_direct": False},
+            ).status_code == 401
+        )
+        assert (
+            client.post(
+                "/api/users/me/quiet-hours",
+                json={"start": None, "end": None, "timezone": None},
+            ).status_code == 401
+        )
+        assert (
+            client.post("/api/rfcs/ohm/watch", json={"state": "watching"}).status_code
+            == 401
+        )
+        assert client.post("/api/notifications/1/read").status_code == 401
+        assert (
+            client.post("/api/notifications/read", json={}).status_code == 401
+        )
+        assert client.post("/api/users/1/notification-mute").status_code == 401
+        assert client.delete("/api/users/1/notification-mute").status_code == 401
+
+
+def test_anonymous_funder_writes_refused(app_with_fake_gitea):
+    """§6.7 funder credential + consent writes — registering a key,
+    consenting to fund — all refuse anonymous callers."""
+    from fastapi.testclient import TestClient
+
+    app, fake = app_with_fake_gitea
+    with TestClient(app) as client:
+        seed_active_rfc(fake, slug="ohm", title="OHM", body=SEED_BODY)
+        client.cookies.clear()
+        assert (
+            client.post(
+                "/api/users/me/funder/credentials",
+                json={"provider": "anthropic", "api_key": "sk-test"},
+            ).status_code == 401
+        )
+        assert (
+            client.delete(
+                "/api/users/me/funder/credentials/anthropic"
+            ).status_code == 401
+        )
+        assert (
+            client.post("/api/rfcs/ohm/funder/consent").status_code == 401
+        )
+        assert (
+            client.delete("/api/rfcs/ohm/funder/consent").status_code == 401
+        )
+
+
+def test_anonymous_graduation_writes_refused(app_with_fake_gitea):
+    """§13 graduation: the POST kickoff and POST claim both refuse
+    anonymous. The progress SSE was gated to require_user in v0.6.0
+    (item #4) since it surfaces admin-internal step detail."""
+    from fastapi.testclient import TestClient
+
+    app, _fake = app_with_fake_gitea
+    with TestClient(app) as client:
+        client.cookies.clear()
+        assert (
+            client.post(
+                "/api/rfcs/anything/graduate",
+                json={
+                    "rfc_id": "RFC-0001",
+                    "repo_name": "rfc-0001-x",
+                    "owners": ["alice"],
+                },
+            ).status_code == 401
+        )
+        assert client.post("/api/rfcs/anything/claim").status_code == 401
+        # v0.6.0 tightening: progress SSE now requires require_user.
+        # No graduation is in flight, but the auth check runs first.
+        assert (
+            client.get("/api/rfcs/anything/graduate/progress").status_code == 401
+        )
+
+
+def test_anonymous_can_read_published_pr_view(app_with_fake_gitea):
+    """The PR review page is §11.3 universal-public — once a PR is
+    open, anonymous viewers can read it. This guards against a
+    regression where the read endpoint accidentally grows an auth
+    gate."""
+    from fastapi.testclient import TestClient
+    from app import db
+
+    app, fake = app_with_fake_gitea
+    with TestClient(app) as client:
+        seed_active_rfc(fake, slug="ohm", title="OHM", body=SEED_BODY)
+        # Seed an open PR row directly — the cache shape is enough for
+        # the read endpoint; the live Gitea fetch falls back gracefully.
+        db.conn().execute(
+            """
+            INSERT INTO cached_prs
+                (rfc_slug, pr_kind, repo, pr_number, title, description, state,
+                 opened_by, opened_at, head_branch, base_branch, head_sha)
+            VALUES ('ohm', 'rfc_branch', 'wiggleverse/rfc-0001-ohm', 7, 't', 'd',
+                    'open', 'alice', datetime('now'), 'feature-x', 'main', 'sha7')
+            """
+        )
+        client.cookies.clear()
+        # Anonymous read on an open PR: should be 200. The endpoint may
+        # surface a partial response (the FakeGitea won't have the head
+        # branch's RFC.md, so branch_body falls back to empty) but the
+        # auth gate must let the read through.
+        r = client.get("/api/rfcs/ohm/prs/7")
+        assert r.status_code == 200
+        body = r.json()
+        assert body["capabilities"]["is_anonymous"] is True
+        assert body["capabilities"]["can_merge"] is False
+        assert body["capabilities"]["can_post_review"] is False

backend/tests/test_propose_vertical.py

@@ -496,6 +496,11 @@ def test_propose_to_super_draft_vertical(app_with_fake_gitea):
         proposal = r.json()
         assert proposal["entry"]["title"] == "Open Human Model"
         assert proposal["entry"]["state"] == "super-draft"
+        # §9.2: the proposer is the implicit first owner at propose time.
+        # The owners field is a single-element list containing exactly the
+        # session user's gitea_login — no request-supplied owner field
+        # exists or is honored.
+        assert proposal["entry"]["owners"] == ["alice"]
         assert proposal["affordances"]["merge"] is True
 
         # Owner merges. The catalog picks up the new super-draft.
@@ -516,6 +521,10 @@ def test_propose_to_super_draft_vertical(app_with_fake_gitea):
         view = r.json()
         assert view["state"] == "super-draft"
         assert "shared definition" in view["body"]
+        # §9.2: the auto-set proposer-owner survives the meta-repo round-trip
+        # — it's in the file's frontmatter on main after merge, not just
+        # in the pending-PR view above.
+        assert view["owners"] == ["alice"]
 
         # The pending-ideas list no longer carries the merged proposal.
         r = client.get("/api/proposals")
@@ -568,6 +577,37 @@ def test_anonymous_cannot_propose(app_with_fake_gitea):
         assert r.status_code == 401
 
 
+def test_proposer_is_auto_owner_request_payload_ignored(app_with_fake_gitea):
+    """§9.2: the owners field on the new entry is always exactly
+    `[session.gitea_login]`. The propose endpoint never accepts an owner
+    from the client; a request payload that smuggles one in is ignored
+    by the Pydantic body model and the auto-set value lands instead.
+    """
+    from fastapi.testclient import TestClient
+    app, _fake = app_with_fake_gitea
+    with TestClient(app) as client:
+        provision_user_row(user_id=11, login="alice", role="contributor")
+        sign_in_as(client, user_id=11, gitea_login="alice", display_name="Alice", role="contributor")
+        # Extra unknown fields like `owners` are dropped by the
+        # ProposeBody model; the session user is the only source of truth.
+        r = client.post("/api/rfcs/propose", json={
+            "title": "Spoof attempt",
+            "slug": "spoof-attempt",
+            "pitch": "p",
+            "tags": [],
+            "owners": ["mallory", "eve"],
+            "proposed_by": "mallory@test",
+        })
+        assert r.status_code == 200, r.text
+        pr_number = r.json()["pr_number"]
+        r = client.get(f"/api/proposals/{pr_number}")
+        assert r.status_code == 200, r.text
+        entry = r.json()["entry"]
+        assert entry["owners"] == ["alice"]
+        # proposed_by also comes from the session, never the body.
+        assert entry["proposed_by"] in ("alice@test", "alice")
+
+
 def test_withdraw_by_proposer_works(app_with_fake_gitea):
     from fastapi.testclient import TestClient
     app, _fake = app_with_fake_gitea

frontend/package-lock.json

@@ -1,12 +1,12 @@
 {
   "name": "rfc-app-frontend",
-  "version": "0.5.0",
+  "version": "0.6.0",
   "lockfileVersion": 3,
   "requires": true,
   "packages": {
     "": {
       "name": "rfc-app-frontend",
-      "version": "0.5.0",
+      "version": "0.6.0",
       "dependencies": {
         "@codemirror/commands": "^6.10.3",
         "@codemirror/lang-markdown": "^6.5.0",

frontend/package.json

@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 {
   "name": "rfc-app-frontend",
   "private": true,
-  "version": "0.5.0",
+  "version": "0.6.0",
   "type": "module",
   "scripts": {
     "dev": "vite",

frontend/src/App.jsx

@@ -159,6 +159,7 @@ export default function App() {
       </div>
       {proposeOpen && viewer && (
         <ProposeModal
+          viewer={viewer}
           onClose={() => setProposeOpen(false)}
           onSubmitted={({ pr_number }) => {
             setProposeOpen(false)

frontend/src/components/ProposeModal.jsx

@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ function slugify(title) {
     .replace(/^-+|-+$/g, '')
 }
 
-export default function ProposeModal({ onClose, onSubmitted }) {
+export default function ProposeModal({ viewer, onClose, onSubmitted }) {
   const [title, setTitle] = useState('')
   const [slug, setSlug] = useState('')
   const [slugEdited, setSlugEdited] = useState(false)
@@ -131,6 +131,12 @@ export default function ProposeModal({ onClose, onSubmitted }) {
               </div>
             )}
 
+            {viewer && (
+              <p className="field-help" style={{ marginTop: 14, marginBottom: 0 }}>
+                Owner: <strong>{viewer.display_name || viewer.gitea_login}</strong> — you'll be the first owner of this super-draft. Additional owners can claim later (§13.1).
+              </p>
+            )}
+
             {error && <p className="field-error">{error}</p>}
           </div>
           <div className="modal-actions">